Who is this guy and why should Crew fans care?

His name is Jarne Steuckers. Crew fans should care because, according to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Crew is working to bring him to the club via transfer.

The Basics

Steuckers is a 21-year-old attacking midfielder who currently plays for his hometown club, Sint-Truiden, in the Belgian league’s top division. After spending last season on loan to a team in the Dutch second division, he returned to Sint-Truiden where he has gotten off to a very good start. In 13 games, he has a goal and three assists. But it is playmaking where he has excelled for The Canaries. According to FotMob, Steuckers is leading the league in creating chances with 44.

Not Hard To Figure Out

When you see that 44 chances created in just 13 games, it isn’t hard to figure out why Crew President and GM Tim Bezbatchenko wants to bring Steuckers on board-he appears to be a perfect fit for Wilfried Nancy’s attacking style. If he ultimately does join the club, does he take the place of Alex Matan? Does Nancy go back to the 3-4-1-2 he deployed when Lucas Zelarayan was still with the team? That formation looks to be best suited to take advantage of Steuckers’ skillset. Questions about formations and lineups take a backseat to the most important one. Can Bezbatchenko make him a member of the Crew?

Where Do Things Stand?

According to Tavolieri’s report, the Crew is trying to trigger a clause in the contract of Steuckers that will allow him to come to the U.S. We don’t yet know what it will take to trigger that clause. Bezbatchenko is probably going to have to really work his magic here because Sint-Truiden is team without a lot of depth and they’re pedaling as fast as they can to stay above the relegation line. They are not going to easily part with a player like Steuckers.

Right now, Taviolieri’s report is the only one I’ve seen, so there isn’t a lot of information available. I’m sure this will pick up steam eventually, so stay tuned.